


Birthday distasters (but hey it's the thought that counts)

by xofstardust



Series: Shipping prompts [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Late birthday one-shot, more platonic than anything I guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 12:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13388208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xofstardust/pseuds/xofstardust
Summary: “Yeah, it was just a delivery mission, nothing too big.” A thick brow rose in question, a trace of concern coming to light within his gaze. “You… alright, buddy? You look a bit out of breath.”“Me? No, I– Well, it’s kind of a long story but–“ Shiro was unable to finish the statement, for the sudden explosion beyond the kitchen door sent both paladins leaping into the air, attentions swiveling towards the closed entrance at the older man’s back.





	Birthday distasters (but hey it's the thought that counts)

     It was incredible to think of what Hunk was capable of with his hands alone: Amazing devices made entirely from scrap that worked like a charm; Incredible strength when one least expected it in defense of others; Intricate dishes that sent your tastebuds on a ride. Hunk was a man of many talents, and not many were capable of seeing that, unable to see passed the seemingly cowardly demeanor and constant hesitance he exuded when in tough situations.

     The paladins, however, knew quite well of Hunk’s heroic bravery and fierce determination. Despite the yellow paladin’s reluctance at the start of their journey, he’d grown into quite the admirable fighter, and had become an absolutely beloved companion.

     And it was his birthday.

     Of course, on such a special day would the universe decide it’s best to throw every possible curveball their way, making plans for a well deserved yellow paladin party all the more difficult to do. Distress signals from various sectors lit altean screens in an alarming red, Galran patrol cruisers seemed to run straight into their paths, regardless of how careful they had planned their routes, and no matter where they found themselves assisting civilians, not a single living being seemed to know what a  _‘cake’_ was! ( _What of people lived without having cake at least once in their life?!_ )

     Of all the tasks left to Shiro, _he_ had to be the one entrusted to find a suitable cake worthy of Hunk’s stature. It was a terrifying job to have, really, knowing just how good the younger paladin was at crafting _perfect_ meals and desserts alike. Then again, Hunk was exactly the type to practice the phrase ‘It’s the thought that counts’, and so surely baking a cake himself would be alright?

     It wouldn’t be the best, but the effort would be there, and so Shiro set out to find the closest ingredients he could find to make what would pass for a cake, many thanks to Coran’s assistance. Some further help would have been appreciated, but the man had other matters to attend to, as did the others of team voltron.

     This would be, singlehandedly, the toughest job Shiro would ever undertake.

     “Okay… Where do to start…?” He murmured to himself out loud, reading off the near illegible writing (his own, embarrassingly enough), a cheat sheet he had scrawled in a hurry whilst Coran had rambled off something or the other about traditional Altean pastries. The words had smudged across the scrap paper, and for a moment, he could have sworn his heart had stopped.

     He… he couldn’t read it. It was a whole bunch of nonsense and smeared words that were further stained by a few ingredients he had opened to check out whilst gathering them, and now the instructions were lost to him. Briefly did he entertain the idea of seeking Coran out once more, but the Altean was no doubt, long gone by then. Shiro was on his own.  


     “Focus.” He mumbled quietly, eying up the various items waiting for use on the counter. “You can do this. Just– mix some stuff up, you know how cake batter is supposed to _look_ like. You got this.” Brave words for someone who knew absolutely nothing about how cooking– much less _baking_ – worked.

     The first item smelled suspiciously sweet, like sugar, though it looked more like molasses than anything. A wrinkle of his nose and a shrug soon after, an uncomfortably blob-like scoop was added to the bowl, followed by what he had assumed to be the Altean’s equivalent to flour, though more grainy. Next was another strange powder-like substance, followed by a healthy glass of milk, courtesy of Kaltenecker. Stirring the contents gave it a dirty brown color to which Shiro’s brows furrowed at, but within a few minutes it had turned into a very battery consistency.

     “Wow, that was easier than I thought.” Lips tugged upright at the very corners, a wave of pride flooding him. He had high hopes for this cake– Oh, but why had it started to _bubble_ like that?

     “Uh–” The batter appeared more like a witch’s brew all too suddenly, and gradually did it emit a startling amount of _smoke_ , the bowl which had contained it beginning to rattle in his grip. Eyes widened, hands outstretched to keep the concoction away from his face and at a safer distance, but such an effort failed to make him feel any better, especially after the incredible heat began to turn the steel bowl an _angry_ red.

     Unable to think of much else to do in his situation, he immediately set the bowl down and took a few steps back. Then another. And another.

     Help. He needed to get some help.

     Rapidly did he flee the room, hoping to Coran, Allura, or perhaps one of the other paladins– and instead he found himself crashing into a familiar yellow-garbed birthday boy, a startled  _‘Oof!’_  escaping from them both before gathering their senses.

     “Shiro! What’s the hurry, man?” Hunk inquired with a small bit of laughter, no doubt finding humor in Shiro’s less than composed state.

     “Hunk! You… You’re back.” A lackluster recovery, if he were to be honest, but it was rather difficult to collect yourself knowing there was a practical ticking time bomb inside your kitchen, and the person you had been planning a surprise for was standing right before you. “That was… fast.”

     “Yeah, it was just a delivery mission, nothing too big.” A thick brow rose in question, a trace of concern coming to light within his gaze. “You… alright, buddy? You look a bit out of breath.”

     “Me? No, I– Well, it’s kind of a long story but–“ Shiro was unable to finish the statement, for the sudden explosion beyond the kitchen door sent both paladins leaping into the air, attentions swiveling towards the closed entrance at the older man’s back. It was only a beat later that the pair rushed in, eyes landing on the charred remains of the steel bowl and a good portion of the kitchen counter horrifically damaged.

     “What the heck was that?!” Came the dreaded question, to which Shiro gently groaned and pressed a hand to his face in silent frustration. “Did you make a bomb in here or something?” Large, tanned hands grasped at a few of the ingredients that were spared from the explosion’s wrath, eyes scanning each with great concern.

     “I wasn’t… trying to blow up the kitchen.” Shiro muttered quietly at first, wiping his hand down his face before allowing his hands to drop at his sides in defeat. “I was trying to… Well, I was making a cake.” A pause, a sheepish smile following suit. “For you. Instead, I guess I wound up making something else– I swear it was an accident.” He tacked on the last bit rapidly, a small defensive wave of his hands further accentuating his plight. Hunk was silent, however, and for a moment, Shiro thought he had genuinely upset him. It was easy to see the sight had bothered him, despite the way his back had been turned to him, one couldn’t miss the slight shake of strong shoulders.

     After all, Hunk loved working in the kitchen, creating all sorts of dishes for the paladins to enjoy… And Shiro had singlehandedly ruined a good portion of the kitchen’s workspace.

     “I’m sorry Hunk… I didn’t mean to–”

     “You were making a cake for _me_?” Came the sudden watery question, causing Shiro to pause in his statement. Teary browns met with startled greys, Hunk’s smile wavering with what Shiro could only assume was barely contained emotion. “That’s so sweet! I can’t believe you would _actually_ try and make a cake for me knowing how _volatile_ Altean ingredients can be! You risked your _life_ for me, man!”

      _Whoa, wait, what–?!_

     There was little time to think on such a statement, Hunk’s arms being wrapped firmly around Shiro in the strongest hug the older man had ever received in his life.

     “I appreciate this, I really do, but next time? Let me handle the cooking, okay?”

     There was no arguing there, Shiro barely managing to lift an arm and pat the other on the back in return whilst a smile pulled at his lips.

     “Don’t need to tell me twice– Happy Birthday, Hunk.”

**Author's Note:**

> Done from the little [shipping prompt](https://xofstardust.tumblr.com/post/169594482952/send-me-a-pairing-and-a-number-and-ill-write-you) (feel free to send in more)! This was supposed to be Shunk, however, I'm so new to the ship, I ended up writing them more platonically/good buddies? Sorry! I gotta warm up to them first, so hopefully my next Shunk comes out more romantically.
> 
> Still, I did try to make it sweet and cute, so who knows? Maybe this is the start of a cute little love story between them! And yes, I made it so that cooking with Altean ingredients would either create some yummy food... or deadly weapons pfft~
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://xofstardust.tumblr.com/)!


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